Blog

My bloggy for the day.. Last weekend had an absolutely exhilerating photo safari along the Acadian coast. I have finally been able to capture 2 compositions in the perfect lighting conditions that have eluded me since I began shooting scenic landscape nature! The first one is viewable right here in my blog. This is "Otter Cliffs" photographed from the Boulder beach at Monument Cove. To get this, one needs to be hittin' the road by 3:30 AM and have your headlamp secured to your noggin and equipment packed to your back to scramble over the soaking wet boulders and find your pre determined shooting location. I use a Singh-Ray vari ND filter to hold back the light to make exposures of 2-4 minutes to capture the ethereal movement of water.

The alpine glow I was able to capture is not a common occurrence here. Acadia recieves more rainy days than anyplace in the US except for the Pacific Northwest. Then you have the possibility of a fog bank controlling the lighting. I've been after this shot for such a long time, finally have my own original to add to the gallery.

Thanks to the good folks over at Flickr who have already noticed this on my Stock photostream and added this to "Flickr Explore!"

The long awaited and anticipated day has finally arrived, the day when all the artist who either have high hopes of acceptance or the invited "by council" artist enter their artwork for consideration. The art show is held at Boehringer-Ingelheim of Ridgefield, Ct, and this is the 26th year for the prestigous event. I have donated an 18x24 framed and matted print of my artwork titled "Sparks Lane-Cades Cove", and am entering (2) 22x30 framed and a 30x32 framed which will be displayed on the gallery wall. In addition, I am selling 25 matted 13x19 prints being displayed by an artist canvas rack.

110 artist had high hopes of being accepted this year, and 9:00 am was the start of the process for the juried event. My drive into the well manacured grounds was quite impressive. You are directed to a gorgeous reception area, park your vehicle and you are met by event staff who happily assist you and your artwork indoors and supply a handy rollaway cart. From here you navigate to the reception foyer where the staff further assist you with a nicely organized and planned out strategy in which to register and record your work (for the gallery walls) The next step became quite a surprise and shock to many, as all the artwork seperated by artist name, is wheeled into a seperate lounge area. The artwork is scrutinized by esteemed judges and either selected for/approved or denied entry into the art show. Only a select few paintings and photographs were approved during the time I was witnessing the process. I'm guessing roughly 66% of the framed artwork had not been approved.

As I watched my cart go through the glass doors I decided to have a cup of coffee and mingle as the judges perused the grouping of artwork. I was told someone would be calling the artist by name in the foyer to review the status. Somehow, I was actually invited in for a "visit" to the back room. I was between a state of confusion, a touch of anger mixed with giddy anticipation as I just had no idea what to expect. Any self doubt was immediately soothed away as I was met with a sincere look into my eyes and a smile, followed by honest praise of my work and many questions about the process and technique. The judge compared my "Castle Hill Lighthouse" print to a painter he is familiar with as the highest possible compliment.

So next step is the actual event, June 7th to be held at the Boehringer-Ingelheim headquarters in Ridgefield. With any luck, we make a few sales and raise some money for a wonderful charity at the same time!

I've been formally invited to participate and display for sale my Fine Art Photography at the "Art of caring 2012". The art show and benefit for the Regional Hospice and Home Care will take place Friday, June 8th 2012 starting at 7pm. The event is held at the beautiful headquarters of Boehringer Ingelheim Corp., 900 Ridgebury Rd. Ridgefield, Ct.

Each invited artist submits 1 donation piece for auction, and is allowed to submit (3) current pieces for the gallery. 40% of the proceeds goes to Regional Hospice Foundation.

Just recieved my (2) complimentary issues from the managing editor of Poets & Writers. They purchaced a limited use to publish my "Old Town Key West" to accompany the article on the Key West Literary Seminar. Beautiful center spread! The image graces page 54-55, with the photo credit appearing on ppg. 56. Thanks again to Suzanne Pettypiece, I'm proud to have had my artwork featured in such a distinguished magazine.

As of this writing I am near completion of a full update of new Fine Art print sizes to the gallery. At the request of my customers, I am now creating a smaller sized option available. Previously the smallest print you were able to purchase was the 16". This new size option does not apply to the Acrylic Print product! All Acrylics start at the 16" base size.

The newest additions can now be ordered in a 12" so customers no longer have to settle for a standard 5x7 greeting cards. Please note, the "default dimensions" will vary from print to print depending on the final crop created during post processing. A standard, uncropped format 12" print will usually print at 12x8.

The idea has been dormant in the dark corners of my brain for a while. My earliest endeavors of learning the trade of photography found me combining it along with my extreme passion for the American muscle car and Hot Rods in general. As a teenager and into my early 20's I'd pour through the best automotive magazines and study how the featured automobiles were photographed. Taking note of the background, the lack of distracting elements, the use of selective focus and wondering how in the hell did they get that chome trim to sparkle like that?

By the latter 1980's, I became a regular contributor to magazines such as Musclecar Review and MoPar Performance and found myself being asked to photograph privately owned cars by their owners on a regular basis. However, the call of the wild turned my focus from the automotive world to devoting my passion of photography to scenic landscapes and nature. I never really completely put down the automotive photography side of it, but it sure did take a back seat to my travels across the Rocky Mountains of Montana , Idaho and Wyoming.

Well this is just to let ya know, CARS are baaaack, and I have been devoting more time to capturing the fine lines and wild colors of the Muscle Car and classic collectible car hobbyist. My latest Automotive Gallery will be growing at a fast pace to catch up with the rest of my portfolio, so if your an Automotive enthusiast stay tuned....

Despite the devastation and carnage brought on by what apparently is a once in a lifetime event, I managed to squeeze out of my driveway, slide under downed trees and powerlines and hike in to a scenic spot along the beautiful Shepaug River. A photoshoot capturing the rare event, as the storm cleared out and sunlight bathed the bottoms of the fast moving stormclouds with warm tones happened.

Nature, in all its fury can do it's damage with such grace and elegance. Seems a juxtaposition of terminology, but to understand the history and geology of such scenic backdrops like the Grand Tetons or Yellowstone National Park you understand how nature imposes it's will and artistic creation. Those creations however took millions of years up violent upheaval. A winter storm in October on the other hand, well being a nature photographer it's my job to capture those brief moments. The lighting, the drama, the mood and atmosphere and create an image customers will purchase and proudly display. Two images have been uploaded to my galleries portraying the amazing beauty of the event, so feel free to peruse the galleries and view the latest images!

Sincere thanks to ALL of my customers for helping make my 2012 published calendar such a success! The final 2 issues have been shipped on 11-18 which translates to only 7 weeks from the first issue sold. Many copies have been shipped abroad to destinations in Europe, Australia and our Armed Forces on duty in Afghanistan.

Spent the better part of the last two weeks exploring nooks and crannys from the rolling hills of Upstate New York just east of Lake George, and so far as the border of Maine and New Hampshire. The Nikons and my assortment of lenses surely recieved a healthy workout, capturing some dramatic autumn scenic landscapes and even re-visiting a few classic Vermont locations. The most recent few days have been a marathon of post editing RAW files on some of the most simplistic exposures that were not High Dynamic Range images or stitching panoramas. We'll attack those that require more time within the next few weeks. In the meanwhile, please be sure to check back often to peruse the latest images we add to the portfolio of galleries!

One leg of our journey has been completed, having the good fortune to stay at a beautiful country cabin owned by friends straddling the Vermont border with New York over the Columbus day weekend. The tourist locations sure were crouded. The weather was almost too nice, as bright sunny skies prevailed which provides flat, featureless lighting for the landscapes I was seeking. However this gave me opportunities to scout locations for the next morning and the golden sunlight of the low sun over the horizon. Managed to capture at least a dozen quality images for a number of uses. The autumn colors in Bennington and Rutland counties were nearing peak for what is widely known as a tragic year for natures annual awesome display of colors. Hurricane Irene pounded the area with tropical storm winds in August and extreme surplus rains made for conditions that allows a mold to develop which alters the fiery colors of fall which we all love.

The next leg begins Friday, and once again Vermont is the target of my assortment of lenses. The final two days will be searching the quaint villages of west central and southwest New Hampshire.